WENATCHEE, Wash. – With the major competition season right around the corner, the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo team is gearing up for two exhibition matches against tough European competitors. Among their secret weapons? Fresh apples and pears from Stemilt Growers!
Stemilt is the Official Fresh Fruit sponsor of USA Water Polo, which means its fruits will be featured during both the men’s and women’s team events throughout 2011. The competitive season for both teams runs from May to October, but as with an elite sport, training is a priority all year long.
According to Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl, the partnership with USA Water Polo fits well with Stemilt’s healthy fruits.
“With loads of nutrients and antioxidants, fresh fruits like apples and pears are great foods to give water polo athletes the fuel that they need to compete at such a high level,” said Pepperl. “This partnership is exciting as it teams up two organizations focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle by way of eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.”
During this training trip, the Women’s team has already taken on defending Gold Medalists from the 2008 Olympics, the Netherlands, during an exhibition match on March 29th. Next, the team will travel to Italy to take on Orizzonte, an Italian club team, in an exhibition match. Orizzonte is the team that three-time Olympic medalist and current team member, Brenda Villa, plays for during the off-season. The exhibition matches and training sessions is a good way for Team USA to mix things up after spending months practicing with each other.
Team USA brings a talented team to the exhibition matches in Europe. They have won every major championship over the last two years and enter the 2011 season ranked number one in the world. USA and the Netherlands will potentially meet again later this summer at the culminating event – the FINA World Championships in China in late July.
In addition to team events, Stemilt and USA Water Polo are partners on the web – through traditional websites and social media. In fact, USA Water Polo featured Stemilt in its March Member Madness, which offered exclusive deals to its large membership base. Stemilt recently launched a new healthy living section featuring tips from members of the U.S. National Team.
To learn more USA Water Polo, visit their website www.usawaterpolo.org or become a fan of their Facebook page www.facebook.com/USAWP. And to stay up with the latest from Stemilt’s farms, join their social media community by becoming a fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/stemilt and a follower on Twitter, www.twitter.com/stemilt.
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About Stemilt
Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and the largest supplier of organic tree fruits in the nation. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters Championships. With nearly 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 600 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport nationwide. It fosters grassroots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Source: Stemilt